nothing wrong with overbuilding, better overbuilt and not worrying about it falling then to underbuild it and have the whole thing collapse. Cant wait for more pics
200g Wetsuit Tank
- Thread starter earthstudent
- Start date
sashimimaster;4619844; said:
Just have not had time to get some pics and get them posted. I am putting the second coat on tonight and will be taking a first coat+fabric pic and when the second coat cures I will be getting final pics as well. I may not be able to get pics up until Monday.
I don't even need to do a second coat, the only reason I am, is to see how smooth I can get the finish. Right now the fabric texture is noticeable.
With the fabric, the Wetsuit coating is much stronger than a 60 mil pond liner but with no wrinkles, creases or seams. It is about 40 mils now and should be around 60 mil after the second coat.
silent1mezzo;4619906; said:
2x4s' $1.85 each x 30 = $55.50
1/2" "premium" plywood $25 each x 2 = $50
5lb. box of 2.5" screws $15
1lb. box of 1.25" screws $5
Total $125.50 to over build the tank
I am using a 5 gallon pail of Wetsuit and a role of 6"x300' fabric.
5 gallon pail of Wetsuit = $125
6"x300' Invisilink fabric = $27
Total = $152
I will only end up using about 2 gallons of the Wetsuit on this tank and I used maybe 1/4 of the fabric role.
The Wetsuit will be $30 for 1 gallon so $60 + $27 for the fabric so $87 to coat a tank this size.
I am putting a 1/2" glass viewing window that was $135
So grand total for the average person to build this tank.
Tank+Stand = $125
1/2 Glass window = $135
Wetsuit coating with fabric reinforcement = $85
Total = $345
That would not include the shipping of the Wetsuit, not sure the cost on that. And obviously not including all the other stuff needed like plumbing and so on. And the tank is pretty raw looking but could easily be covered with nice wood and trim and so on.
OK, I got some shots of the tank after the second coat. As I mentioned before, I was only putting on a second coat to see if I could smooth out the finish a bit more and just for good measure as well, because I did not get fabric around and down in the bottom drain area so I wanted to get that area as thick as I could. The second coat did not end up making the finish much smoother.
All in all, I am pretty happy with the results. I think if you pay more attention to detail you could get it nicer than I did, but I think it came out pretty nice. I could have made it nicer but really did not feel like taking the time as this is not going to be a show tank, just a tilapia grow out tank.
I think I forgot to mention before that I was doing a sumped bottom drain that will allow me to drain the tank down completely when I need to and I also rounded the top edge of the tank with a router (as well as the drain area) to soften those corners.
Here is the tank right after the second coat. Still wet but starting to dry.
Here it is the next day all dry (not FULLY cured yet). The stand got some dribbles on it but just on that side so I am going to make that the back side.
Here is the inside. You can see the sumped drain in the corner of the tank, a 2" bulkhead will go there. The face of the bulkhead will be at the level of the bottom of the tank so it will allow all the water to drain. You can also see in this pic the seam overlapping of the fabric as well as brush stroke lines. I used a cheap course brush, so I am guessing a nicer brush would yield nicer results.
Here is a back/side shot.
The glass should be here in the next couple days.
Let me know if you have any question.
All in all, I am pretty happy with the results. I think if you pay more attention to detail you could get it nicer than I did, but I think it came out pretty nice. I could have made it nicer but really did not feel like taking the time as this is not going to be a show tank, just a tilapia grow out tank.
I think I forgot to mention before that I was doing a sumped bottom drain that will allow me to drain the tank down completely when I need to and I also rounded the top edge of the tank with a router (as well as the drain area) to soften those corners.
Here is the tank right after the second coat. Still wet but starting to dry.
Here it is the next day all dry (not FULLY cured yet). The stand got some dribbles on it but just on that side so I am going to make that the back side.
Here is the inside. You can see the sumped drain in the corner of the tank, a 2" bulkhead will go there. The face of the bulkhead will be at the level of the bottom of the tank so it will allow all the water to drain. You can also see in this pic the seam overlapping of the fabric as well as brush stroke lines. I used a cheap course brush, so I am guessing a nicer brush would yield nicer results.
Here is a back/side shot.
The glass should be here in the next couple days.
Let me know if you have any question.
